Maryland owns a lengthy and prideful history of horse racing, but it's a history without a definitive account, and misunderstood enough to make you believe the sport no longer matters.

The account though now exists in "Racing the Times," a documentary of the history of horseracing in Maryland telling the full and completely remarkable tale.

"The motivation to tell the story is (that) it's an integral part of Maryland sporting history. Maryland has the watermen, but horseracing goes back to colonial days. It has survived all those years and is still vibrant today," said Drew Perkins, one of the documentary's producers.

"We thought a lot of people thought the sport was declining and we wanted to make people aware that it's bouncing back," said Nick Carter, one of the documentary's producers.

"The first thoroughbred horses in America were bred here in Maryland. The great match race between Sea Biscuit and War Admiral happened here in Maryland. In 1877, another match race to the point where Congress shut its doors down, chartered a train and came to Pimlico to watch," Perkins said.

Merryland Farm in Baltimore County played a role in the movie. The producers replicated a day from the 1930s, showing what it was like at a day at the races. One of the problems though, they didn't have PVC piping back in 1930.

"Going to the racetrack in the 1930s on a weekend is what you did, so I wanted to create a day in a life of horseracing in the 1930s. So, I went all over the state, came back to here at Merryland Farm. We had to Hollywood things up -- cover up the PVC pipe, put up wood planks. (We) brought in 40-50 actors, old cars and basically recreated a day from the 1930s. It was a lot of fun," Perkins said.

Mike Pons, who co-owns Merryland Farm, couldn't be more thrilled with the film. He said Maryland horseracing needs the showcase, and thanks to slots money pouring in, the industry can back up all the film has to promise.

"It's like we put high-octane fuel into our engine and now it's rolling. Our fund has gone from $3 million to $6 million and will probably get as high as $9 million or $10 million. It's wonderful because commerce follows the dollars," Pons said. "The folks in Kentucky and New York and Florida are showing the love and bringing their horses here because they want to be part of the Maryland program."

The historic Senator Theater, which has been the premiere home to such movies as "Tin Men," "Diner" and "Rounders," will be the premiere host for "Racing the Times" on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. Tickets are free, but you must reserve them in advance at racingthetimes.eventbrite.com.